1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an integrated management system and method for controlling multi-type air conditioners, and more particularly, to an integrated management system and method for controlling multi-type air conditioners capable of integrally controlling multi-type air conditioners by adding information about the type of connection equipment into a body portion of a remote communication protocol.
2. Background of the Invention
Air conditioner systems are now used in most buildings and homes. For example, one type of air conditioner system includes indoor units disposed in each room of a home or in each office of a building, and an outdoor unit shared by and connected to the indoor units.
An air conditioner group denotes a grouping of a plurality of air conditioners, and an air conditioner system denotes a system managing at least one air conditioner group.
The air conditioner system may include a local controller which detects various operation states of the plurality of air conditioner groups and controls the plurality of air conditioner groups via a gateway according to the detection.
An integrated management system for controlling the multi-type air conditioners is being developed to integrally manage at least one air conditioner system from a remote location.
Also, the integrated management system for controlling the multi-type air conditioners is connected to a connection controller of each air conditioner system so as to collect operation information (i.e., cycle data) related to all of the air conditioners being operated in the corresponding air conditioner system.
The collected operation information is generated based on a remote communication protocol, and only includes operation information related to air conditioners which are currently being operated. A service manager monitors the operation information related to the corresponding air conditioners by a monitoring service, to remotely handle (or control) at least one air conditioner system.
A connection controller of each air conditioner system, namely, a central controller, collects information (e.g., product information, operation information, etc.) on its subordinate air conditioners connected thereto to thusly transmit such information to a remote integrated management system.
Here, the central controller may include a local_central_controller, an exclusive_central_controller, a building_management_central_controller, and the like.
However, the related art integrated management system for controlling the multi-type air conditioners collects operation information about the air conditioners by connecting the remote integrated management system only to the local_central_controller. Thus, the remote integrated management system can not be connected to other connection controllers, such as the exclusive_central_controller, the building_management_central_controller and the like.